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Hi all: I spoke to Lisa and Tara tonight while at agility classes and we are definitely going to do this, perhaps in the autumn (I am away in the second half of September but maybe for Oct/Nov. Anybody could do this alongside a basic class or even without having done a class so don't worry if you feel maybe you need to do another class first. The emphasis will be on doing a nice mix of things and having time for Q&A and for our cavaliers to socialise too.

They will do some obedience, an intro to clicker training, an intro to agility, a talk on reading dog body language, an intro to the breed and its history along with cavalier care tips and health issues and an info pack; an opportunity to get Puppia harnesses and leads and/or no-pull walking harnesses (I use both!), a talk on fun toys and at-home activities for keeping your dog busy, especially if you are out for the day; a talk on handling behaviour issues like separation anxiety and so on. It should be fun! So it will not be a regular class at all but something geared to the issues and topics that come up regularly on the board and some background to give us some extra insight into this great breed.

If it works well and there's general interest we will do some more cavalier-only classes, such as clicker training. I am also going to talk to UCD about the possibility of doing low-cost cardiac testing at this event or having some sort of arrangement for board members that would be at a discount.

What the UK and US clubs do is havce a board certified cardiologist do ausculation testing of hearts which is FAR more accurate than a vet's listening with a stethoscope (though some vets can be really good at this too). It gives a basic picture of your cavalier's heart health but a full cardiac work-up is obviously more detailed.

I'll report back as this comes together and people can register for the class. If there's good interest it will likely become a regular Cavaliertalk event!

i talked to mam about the classes, we are going to the walk in september so we will see how the dogs get on in the box on the train, we are going to buy the medium box in the argos will it def have enough room for bailey and holly together? bailey is 15months and he is about 10kg holly is 10 months but shes about the same weight...

we are going to buy the medium box in the argos will it def have enough room for bailey and holly together? bailey is 15months and he is about 10kg holly is 10 months but shes about the same weight...

Hi Leah -- I'm not sure what the current medium box is... the Argos plastic crates that come on two sizes -- and I have the large one -- will be way too small for two dogs of this size together I think. Jaspar and Leo just fit in the larger plastic crate and Leo is 6.4 kilos and Jaspar is about 7. If I get the chance I'll look at the crates they have in the catalogue as they do change around stock.